SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Tennessee State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/tennessee/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 4 Tennessee state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Tennessee Holidays 2026 Tennessee has 11 federal holidays and 4 state holidays in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in Tennessee | Holiday | Date | Day of week | Notes | Type | Paid by law? | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | New Year's Day | 2026-01-01 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Day after New Year's Day (One-time 2026 state office closure approved by the Governor; not a statutory holiday) | 2026-01-02 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 2026-01-19 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Washington's Birthday | 2026-02-16 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Good Friday | 2026-04-03 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Easter Sunday | 2026-04-05 | Sunday | | Observance | Not a day off | | Memorial Day | 2026-05-25 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Juneteenth | 2026-06-19 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Independence Day | 2026-07-04 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Fri Jul 3 | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Labor Day | 2026-09-07 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Columbus Day | 2026-10-12 | Monday | Tennessee legal holiday; for 2026 the Governor moved it to Friday, November 27, so state offices are open on October 12 | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Veterans Day | 2026-11-11 | Wednesday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Thanksgiving Day | 2026-11-26 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Day after Thanksgiving (Columbus Day observed (the Governor moved Columbus Day to this day for 2026)) | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Eve (One-time 2026 state office closure approved by the Governor; not a statutory holiday) | 2026-12-24 | Thursday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Day | 2026-12-25 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | New Year's Eve (One-time 2026 state office closure approved by the Governor; not a statutory holiday) | 2026-12-31 | Thursday | | State | Not required for private employers | ## What employers need to know **Paid holidays.** Tennessee has no law regulating fringe benefits such as holiday pay, PTO, vacation or sick pay. Your company policy decides whether you give them. **Working on a holiday.** Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require Tennessee employers to pay overtime or a premium just because work falls on a holiday. Overtime is owed only if the employee works more than 40 hours in the workweek. **Unused leave at separation.** Tennessee law doesn't require you to pay out unused PTO, vacation or holiday benefits when an employee leaves. You only owe a payout if your policy or labor agreement says so. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Sick leave.** Tennessee doesn't require private employers to offer sick leave, paid or unpaid. Employers that choose to offer sick days must follow their own company policy or employment agreement. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/tennessee/#sick-leave-in-tennessee) Full rules: Tennessee leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/tennessee/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Tennessee. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Tennessee state offices close for: Day after New Year's Day, Good Friday, Day after Thanksgiving (November 27), Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Take all 14 suggested PTO days and you get **57 days off across 13 breaks**, including 8 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - Take Monday, January 5 off to get a 5-day break from January 1 to 5 (New Year's Day and Day after New Year's Day). - Take Wednesday, November 25 off to get a 5-day break from November 25 to 29 (Thanksgiving Day and Day after Thanksgiving). - Take Wednesday, December 23 off to get a 5-day break from December 23 to 27 (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). - Take Wednesday, December 30 off to get a 5-day break from December 30 to January 3 (New Year's Eve and New Year's Day). - Take Friday, January 16 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 16 to 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). - Take Friday, February 13 off to get a 4-day weekend from February 13 to 16 (Washington's Birthday). - Take Thursday, April 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from April 2 to 5 (Good Friday). - Take Friday, May 22 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 22 to 25 (Memorial Day). - Take Thursday, June 18 off to get a 4-day weekend from June 18 to 21 (Juneteenth). - Take Thursday, July 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from July 2 to 5 (Independence Day). - Take Friday, September 4 off to get a 4-day weekend from September 4 to 7 (Labor Day). - Take Friday, October 9 off to get a 4-day weekend from October 9 to 12 (Columbus Day). - Take Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 off to get a 5-day break from November 7 to 11 (Veterans Day). ## When Tennessee teams take time off The 5 weeks when the most Tennessee employees using Vacation Tracker were off, compared with an average week. - Dec 21 – 27 (Week 52): 3.0× a normal week - Jul 6 – 12 (Week 28): 2.0× a normal week - Dec 14 – 20 (Week 51): 2.0× a normal week - Jun 29 – Jul 5 (Week 27): 1.9× a normal week - Dec 29 – Jan 4 (Week 1): 1.7× a normal week ## How Tennessee holidays differ **State holidays.** Tennessee has 4 holidays of its own in 2026 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; 5 have more and 37 have fewer. **Shared with a few states.** Day after New Year's Day is also a state holiday in Kentucky and Louisiana. New Year's Eve is also a state holiday in Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin. **Federal holidays.** Tennessee state offices observe Columbus Day on November 27. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Alabama](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/alabama/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [Arkansas](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/arkansas/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Georgia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/georgia/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Kentucky](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/kentucky/2026/): 5 holidays of its own - [Mississippi](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/mississippi/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Missouri](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/missouri/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [North Carolina](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/north-carolina/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [Virginia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/virginia/2026/): 4 holidays of its own Compare all 50 states and DC: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/2026/#compare ## Frequently asked questions Q: Do private employers in Tennessee have to give paid holidays? No. The Tennessee Department of Labor says there is no Tennessee law regulating fringe benefits such as holiday pay; company policy is the determining factor. Q: What are the Tennessee state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Tennessee has the 11 federal holidays and 4 state holidays: Day after New Year's Day (January 2), Good Friday (April 3), Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year's Eve (December 31). Tennessee state offices observe Columbus Day on Friday, November 27 instead of its federal date. Q: Is Juneteenth a Tennessee state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a Tennessee state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a Tennessee state holiday? Yes, on a different day. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, and Tennessee state offices observe it on Friday, November 27 instead. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Tennessee? No. It isn't a Tennessee state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, November 27. Q: Do employers in Tennessee have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Not under federal law. The FLSA doesn't require overtime pay for holiday work as such, so Tennessee employers only owe time-and-a-half if the employee works more than 40 hours in the workweek. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Tennessee? Not under federal law. Paid time off for a holiday isn't hours worked under the FLSA, so Tennessee employers don't have to count it toward the 40 hours that trigger overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Tennessee? Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. In 2026, Independence Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, July 3. ## Sources - TN.gov - Tennessee State Government Holiday Office Closures (2026): https://www.tn.gov/about-tn/state-holidays.html - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Wages & Breaks - Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: https://www.tn.gov/workforce/employees/labor-laws/labor-laws-redirect/wages-breaks.html - Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA | U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/23-flsa-overtime-pay - FLSA Hours Worked Advisor: Holidays, Vacations and Sick Time | U.S. Department of Labor: https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/hoursworked/screenEE14.asp Holiday calendar data includes date-holidays (CC BY-SA 3.0), checked against the official sources above. Holiday dates come from public sources. Check your employment contract and the official sources above before you rely on them. CSV: https://vacationtracker.io/static/data/holiday-pages/united-states/tennessee-holidays-2026.csv